Turbulence strip for radiator tubes



June 13,- 1939. w. R. RAMsAUR 2,151,887

TURBULENCE STRIP FOR RADIATOR` TUBES Filed Jan. '7, 1938 ll Isl 9 /NVENTOE WA LTE/e B. ,PA/15A u@ Arroz/ver Patented June 13, 1939 Walter R. Ramsanr, lRacine, Wis., assignor to Young Radiator Company, Racine,

' poration of Wisconsin Wis., a cor- Application January 7, 19.38, Serial No."183,740

3 Claims.

'I'he present invention relates to means for causing the liquid passingy through the tubes to violently impin'ge the walls of the tubes at closely spaced intervals, thus to increase the heat transfer capacity of2 the device.

Further objects, of the present invention are to provide a turbulence strip which will fit snugly in the tube but may be easily inserted, removed and replaced.

One of the useful applications of the present invention is to remedy an inherent defect in oil cooling cores, wherein Vthe oil tends to cling to the walls of the tubes and travel ,at a great speed at the center of the tubes thereby requiring major heat transfer through the slowly moving oil.

The present invention was devised to prevent the surface oil from clinging to the walls of the tubes and cause all of the oil in the tubes to turn over and over and wipe the wall of the tube in a manner which w llV insure an equal temperature of all of the oil as it passes through the tubes, thus to greatly increase the capacity of the device.

To these and other useful ends my invention consists of parts, -combinations of parts or their equivalents and mode of operation as described and claimed vand shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a fractional transverse sectional view through a radiator having a single row of tubes which are provided with a multiplicity of spaced iins.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse view of the turbulence strip shown in Figure 1, taken on line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fractional side view of the strip as shown inl Figures 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fractional sid-e view of the turbulence strip before ybeing formed into the shape shown in Figure 1. 4

Fig. 5 is a side view of a modicatlon.

Fig. 6 is an edge view of the modification illustrated in Figure 5.

As thus illustrated, reference numerals 9-9 designate the headers `of the radiator. Numeral I0 designates the tubes which operatively connect the headers together.

I provide the usual closely spaced ln strips II. Turbulence strips, which in their entirety. are designated by reference character A are provided 50 being preferably formed as illustrated in Figures l, 2 and 3. These strips before being formed or zig-zagged are clearly illustrated in Figure 4 having alternately wide and narrow portions I3 and Il. A center portion of member I3 is removed 55 as at IS and portions II-IS are cut free as at (Cl. 13S-38) I'I. After the strips have been thus :formed they are zig-zagged as illustrated in Figure l.

The bends are preferably made o n a transverse line as at Iii-I8. When these bends are made, the freed members I6 are bent outwardly 6 in opposite directions alternately, as clearly in dicated in Figures 1 and 2. Itwill be seen that the bends for members I6 are parallel to and preferably on the same plane as the bends in mem-l bers I3. After the strips have been formed the l0 free ends of members I6 will be on nearly the same transverse plane as illustrated in Figure 3. Thus when viewing the strip from its end as in Figure 2 it will be seen that the free corners of members I6 will contact the walls of the tubes l5 and that the corners of members I3 may also contact the walls of the tubes. @Thus as the oil passes through the tubes it will impinge upon members I4 and the walls of the tubes and be diverted transversely into the walls of the tubes.

The oil will also impinge upon member I6 on one side and be caused to again violently'impinge upon the walls of the tubes in the same manner.

0n the other side of the turbulence strip the moving oil will contact members I6 and be di- 25 verted into members I3 from whence it will be directed against the walls of the tubes.

Thus it will be seen that there is in fact no direct vpath for the oil except the small V-shaped lpath as at 2|, however, the oil at these points 30 will be diverted and caused to violently impinge upon the walls of the tubes by the oil streams as they pass around member I6 or from! the.sur face of members I3 and I4. Clearly the oil will be broken Aup into many diverging paths and caused to impinge upon the walls of the tubes many times as it passes through the tubes.

In the preferred design shown, I provide pipe plugs 25 for openings which are made large enough for the insertion of an -expander with 40 which to expand the tubes into the header plate and through which the strips are inserted. Clearly after the assembly has been completed, and the radiator placed into service the strips may be easily removed and replaced.

One of the advantages of my turbulence strips is that they may be pulled by means of a wire into the tubes, at 'which time the strip will be slightly elongated and thus made to pass freely into the ltubeand then assume a normal size which is made large enough to ilt snugly in the tube. The strips may be made long enough so plugs 25 will slightly compress the strips, thus to more iirmly hold them in contact with'the walls of the tubes.

In Figures 5 and 6, I illustrate a modification. These strips before being formed are very similar to the strips shown in Figure 4 except that members I6 will be removed, leaving an openingA 26 in the center of the wide portion '2 l'. The narrow portion 2l of the strip being preferably about the same length as members 21. This strip after being blanked is bent in theshape illustrated in Figure 6 at points 2$.` Thus when viewed` from the end the appearance of the strip will be vvery similar to the' strip as illustrated in Figure 2 less members I6 and the operation being somewhat similar to the other strip except that the oil would be caused to implnge upon the walls of the tubes on one sideby members 28 and on the other side by members 2".v`

It will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention; for example,

the bends with which to form the strips as in v 'Figure 1 may be made at a point midway lines relatively large rectangular in shape openings, said strips having a Zig-Zag shape, the bends being positioned transversely to the strip and adjacent the ends ot said narrow strips.

2. A' device of the class described, comprising a tube having therein a turbulence strip, said strip comprising alternately spaced wide and narrow portions, the wide portions each having cen` trally positioned openings which are formed by cutting portions free which are bent outwardly Ain opposite vdirection on a transverse line and adjacent the ends of said narrow strips, said Y strips having a zig-zag shape, the bends being positioned transversely and adjacent the ends of said narrow and wide strips.V

3. A device of the class described, comprising a radiator tube having therein a turbulence strip, said strip comprising alternately spaced wide and narrow rectangular in shape portions, the wide portions each. having centrally positioned rectangular in shape openings which are formed by cutting portions free which are bent outwardly in opposite directions on a transverse line with and adjacent the ends of said wide stripssaid strips having a zig-zag shape, the bends being Vpositioned transversely and adjacent the ends of said openings.

- WALTER R. RAMSAUR. 

